The California State University is the largest system of senior higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, approximately 460,000 students and 46,000 faculty and staff. Since the system was created in 1961, it has awarded nearly 2.5 million degrees, about 92,000 annually. Its mission is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of the people of California. With its commitment to excellence, diversity and innovation, the CSU is the university system that is working for California.

As part of a university commitment to furthering the arts, CSU Summer Arts was launched as a dance program in 1986. The program has since expanded to include a range of performing and media arts, including the launch in 1991 of the CSU Media Arts Festival.